Florida Everglades 10,000 Islands

TYPE OF TRAVEL/DISTANCE: You will travel in 17-foot Wenonah Champlain canoes, which hold two to three paddlers and all necessary gear. An average day’s travel will consist of 4-6 hours of paddling depending on the tides and weather. Travel distances will vary from 4-12 miles per day. No previous experience is needed to complete this trip.

WEATHER: Temperatures between January and March can range from 35 F at night to 90 F during the day. Rainfall can vary, but you should expect at least a day of rain.

YOUR GROUP: The group size ranges from 10 to 12 participants, plus two or more Wilderness Inquiry staff. Each group consists of people of various ages, backgrounds, and abilities, including people with disabilities. Our trips are cooperative adventures and people pitch in with camp chores as they are able.

WHERE YOU WILL SLEEP: We will set up camp in the keys. At night you will sleep in a comfortable 4-person tent with 2-3 people (although other arrangements can be made). Bathroom facilities consist of a foldable commode chair set up in a privacy tent. We make every effort to ensure privacy and cleanliness.

MEALS: Enjoy preparing meals together using fresh, healthy ingredients for bountiful dishes. Rise to the smell of freshly brewed coffee to enjoy with your breakfast and pack trail lunches with hearty snacks before heading off to explore. In the evening, we’ll prepare our dinner together over stoves and campfires and then finish the day with s’mores. If you have special dietary restrictions, be sure to list them on your registration.

EQUIPMENT AND CLOTHING: Wilderness Inquiry will provide all group equipment. You will need to provide your personal gear as outlined in the packing list. If you are new to outdoor activities, you do not need to spend a lot of money. Wilderness Inquiry can usually arrange for you to borrow most items.

FISHING: Fishing is good in the 10,000 Islands, but you must get a valid Florida saltwater license. To get a 7-day non resident license, about $30, call 1-888-347-4356, or go on-line to: http://myfwc.com. Also, you may want to get a permit for Snook or Spiny Lobster.

COVID POLICY: We continue to monitor and update our COVID-19 policies. Wilderness Inquiry strongly encourages everyone to be fully up to date with their COVID-19 vaccination and take other necessary steps for the health and wellness of all. We ask you to self-screen for any signs of illness prior to your trip’s departure. Please contact Wilderness Inquiry if you are exhibiting signs of illness. We will also continue to follow all guidance and requirements of locations that we travel, keeping in mind some international destinations do require vaccinations and/or negative covid tests. We will update this policy as new information and guidance becomes available. 

SAFETY WHILE ON TRAIL:  Though not required, some individuals may choose to wear a mask, and we expect all participants to respect this choice. Please ensure proper hygiene including, but not limited to, hand-washing and/or sanitizing before eating and after using the restroom. Individuals who become ill or test positive for COVID-19 during a Wilderness Inquiry experience will be isolated to the best of the group’s ability and are responsible for their own transportation and expenses to depart the trip.

There are three primary ecosystems in the area, freshwater, transitional or brackish water, and marine or saltwater. You will experience all three on your Wilderness Inquiry trip, although the bulk of the trip takes place in the saltwater ecosystem.

American Indians in the region referred to this vast landscape as “Pa-hay-okee.” meaning “Grassy Water.” The Spanish called the area “El Laguno del Espiritu Santo,” or “The Lagoon of the Holy Spirit.” Following the exploration of the area by Europeans, the name appeared in several forms including: “Ever Glades,” “ever glades” and “River Glades.” It wasn’t until the 1823 Turner Maps that the name appeared as Everglades. This is the freshwater ecosystem.

Today, the name “Everglades” commonly refers to both the national park and the ecosystem that contains the park. The broader ecosystem covers over 7 million acres, from the southern lip of Lake Okeechobee to the Gulf of Mexico. Everglades National Park covers over 1.5 million acres in the southern portion of the ecosystem. Congress designated nearly 1.3 million acres of the National Park as the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Wilderness after the noted conservationist who worked for decades to protect the Everglades and its wilderness, the largest wilderness in the United States east of the Rockies.

Southern Florida is relatively young when compared to most of earth’s land-masses. Once an ancient seabed, the underlying rock consists predominantly of limestone. Its deepest and oldest deposits, Tamiami limestone, are only around six million years old. They formed as silt and calcium sifted downward to form layers of muck at the bottom of the placid sea. Time and pressure eventually changed the layers of muck into the limestone bedrock underlying the northwest corner of the park. The park also contains another type of limestone that is especially important because of its sponge-like nature. In the course of the wet season it absorbs tremendous amounts of water, which it slowly releases during the dry season, to the benefit of the flora and fauna of the area.

The natural environment of the Everglades revolves around the yearly spill from Lake Okeechobee. Over thousands of years, the complex ecosystem in the Everglades developed in response to the regular cycle of flooding rains that gather in Okeechobee, and then flow south in a placid river over 50 miles wide and 100 miles long. Water from the lake takes about a year to reach southern Florida, during which time it nourishes a variety of plant and animal life on its southward journey.

Don’t be fooled by the river’s placid nature, though, for this land contains indescribable wonder. Scaly alligators share the marshes with flamingos, roseate spoonbills, egrets and herons, pelicans, cranes, hawks, ibis, storks, frigate birds, kites, skimmers, and hundreds of other colorful birds.

The shallow waters of Florida Bay constitute about one-third of the park. Most of the bay’s tiny keys serve as nesting sites for birds, and the salt water teems with fish, bottle-nosed dolphins, sea turtles, sharks, and manatees. Visitors need a boat to access Florida Bay and the fascinating Wilderness Waterway, a 99-mile marine trail that takes you from Everglades City and the Ten Thousand Islands on the north to Flamingo on the south.

The Everglades lie in the temperate zone, though its flora and fauna in many ways duplicate those found in the tropical West Indies. Due to effects of the Gulf Stream, tropical trade winds and latitude, ecologists refer to it as subtropical.

The Everglades experiences just two seasons – wet and dry – rather than the four seasons common in more northern climates. Around 80% of the annual 60 inches of rainfall occurs between May and October, with very hot and humid weather. November through April brings drier weather and slightly cooler temperatures, with daytime highs between 60 and 75 degrees.

The Everglades has a rich and varied Native American heritage. Groups such as Tequesta, Calusa, Seminole, and Miccosukees have lived in the area. The earliest people came to the area around 11,000 years ago. The Calusas harvested the abundant shellfish in the area, leaving behind huge shell mounds that can still be seen today. Some of the mounds, believed to be for burial and ceremonial purposes, grew quite large, measuring up to 40 feet high and covering several acres.